Sketches of Intriguing People: and the Curious Events They Suffered While Living in the Wilderness of the Northwest Territory.

by Frank E. Kuron

In 1787 the Northwest Territory was opened for settlement. It was as exciting a time as one could imagine, and volatile as well. With great anticipation, as well as extraordinary courage and resolve, citizens of the new United States ventured from the civilized communities established along the Atlantic, into the expansive wilderness lying beyond the Appalachians. These individuals were in possession of an indomitable spirit that had gotten them through a revolution and now guided them into the unknown; an inherent American spirit that is still recognizable today. Likewise, the Native Americans who already inhabited the land, were instinctively driven to defend it and in the process faced internal struggles of their own. This book blows the dust off of their stories; most long forgotten and some rarely ever told. Through sketches, created with words rather than charcoal, intriguing episodes of their lives are retold, often in their own words. As you read excerpts from diaries, letters, and newspapers of the day, you'll be given a rare and raw glimpse into some of the most daring lives lived on the frontier. Be careful, for their emotions may momentarily become yours. Some of the tales are thrilling, others curious, and a few are even light-hearted, but all are true. So come on! The United States of America has just been born! Hazard a trip over the mountains and stake your claim to adventure alongside some rugged, historic, and often heroic Americans, new and native.

340 pages, Paperback

Published March 15, 2020

Reviews

[Richard Buxton · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a beautifully crafted book. Frank Kuron takes you on a guided tour of the Northwest Territory as it was in the second half of the 18th century and the first half of the 19th century. It doesn’t just explore the semi-settled-wilderness, but the events, the conflict, and most of all the people. I’m more a student of the Civil War that followed these times, but this wonderful book opened my eyes to a period and place I knew so little about. Naval battles with the British on Lake Erie, Indian messiahs and prophets, the long struggles to carve out new states from the Northwest Territory and to contest the border to the north.

Kuron makes great use of personal accounts, diaries of soldiers, diaries of soldier’s wives, letters and newspapers. Incredible and often brutal lives are well sketched. You get a real feel for the wilderness that these people walked, rode or rafted into, often at the cost of their lives.
For me it wholly explained why, when in later years the Union had need to draw so many regiments from Ohio, Illinois and Wisconsin to fight the Confederacy, these men were so hardy and so formidable. They were the children or grandchildren of adventurers, descendants of that pioneer spirit.

Hugely recommended.

[Pete Grondin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Frank Kuron writes an informative book about lesser-known persons in history who shaped the part of our country once known as the Northwest Territory. The real-life stories take place in what is now considered the Midwest, Kentucky, Indiana, Michigan, and Illinois. I really enjoy North American history so this book was quite interesting to me. As a native Ohioan who lived for a few years in Michigan, the stories hit home, especially the passages that mentioned Sandusky and the surrounding area. Good read for anyone with an interest in our country's history.